Fascism Is Not Capitalist

[I find this short piece quite frustrating. I don't think it will persuade anyone, for I am arguing that the left has got something important wrong for nearly a century. And yet I think the arguments made here are important, if only a sketch of some longer argument.]

Fascism is not capitalist. Fascist nationalism opposes international trade and immigrant labor. This is a drag on a national economy; economies grow through trade. Look around you! We have the tariffs, we have the businesses going under because of Trump’s trade war, we have media companies losing millions because they’re trying to propagandize Trump, we have businesses losing money as they implement racist policies, we have the wholesale destruction of the US scientific establishment, the engine of future economic development. It’s losing money. It’s destroying capital.

Gaza: They Make a Desolation and They Call It Peace

So Trump gets to play the peacemaker, Netanyahu gets off, the surviving leaders of Hamas get off, the Trump family makes a bunch of money, Gaza is down to the ground, and there are 67,000 Palestinians dead. Of those deaths, 13,600 deaths and 57,900 injuries occurred after Trump supported Netanyahu in breaking Biden’s ceasefire, put in place at the end of his administration.

Brief Notes On Non-Violent Movements

If you advocate violence, you are not nonviolent, even if you don't personally use the gun or the knife. Supporters of the IRA, supporters of Hamas, supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu, Turning Point USA, none of them are nonviolent and none of them can claim the mantle of non-violence.

When Martin Luther King Jr's Southern Christian Leadership Conference decided to undertake nonviolent civil disobedience, they eschewed even violence in self-defense. They knew that any acts of self-defense would be spun as offensive violence.

Self-defense itself can become an excuse for offensive violence. Some of the most violent movements claim to be defending themselves: Nazis claim to be defending themselves against Jews, US white nationalists claim to be defending themselves against black people, and so on.

In Praise of Progressive Courage

Would people please stop calling progressives cowards? It's the progressives who've been trying to lead this charge for 2½ decades, in the face of constantly being told they were alarmists and not to worry. With each new surrender we were told that surely now the abuses would stop. And with each new surrender, the enemies of the Constitution and freedom and the Republic gained more ground. And yes, we're tired. In 2½ decades, the young of us have become middle-aged and the middle aged have become old. But we're still fighting and we were out there fighting when so-called "cooler heads" were surrendering in advance. 

We wonder at the compliance of our institutional leadership but they are only following the standard the "moderate" political leadership has been setting for 2½ decades. It is time for different leadership, and where else could it come from but progressives?

The Trials After Trump

We need to start thinking, now, about how we are going to penalize the people who made this disaster. There need to be trials, penalties, and some sort of legal order, and currently we have just nothing. I don't want to see these acts go unpunished. I also don't want to see an orgy of revanchism.

The Village Anarchism of Mastodon

Many of the anarchists of Mastodon act as if they don't believe real criminality exists. Most of them are probably sincere, but likely some are criminals themselves and are using anarchist ideology as protective coloration. Mastodon site rules typically say that users must obey the laws of the country where the instance is hosted, and perhaps other laws as well, but how is that to be enforced without a police presence? I don't believe most Mastodon mods are capable of dealing with serious crime.

I am remembering how CHAZ/CHOP in Seattle ended - four shootings, two deaths, and an untold number of rapes. Oh, you sweet anarchist children…

… and I sometimes have the feeling that a lot of these anarchist mods don't so much object to policing as want to be the cops themselves.

The Militia, the Constitution, and States Rights

I, (First, Middle, Last Name) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State (Commonwealth, District, Territory) of against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the Governor of the State (Commonwealth, District, Territory) of , that I make this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of (Grade) in the Army/Air National Guard of the State (Commonwealth, District, Territory) of upon which I am about to enter, so help me God. — US National Guard Officer’s Oath, 2019-09-13 Ng.mil, Archive.org.